ABOUT US

Jacqueline Boyd

History

The Care Plan is the brainchild of Jacqueline Boyd, a long time aging specialist and LGBTQI advocate. Jacqueline’s passion for health and aging started when she was a Certified Nursing Assistant in college. Working in nursing homes gave her a deep appreciation for the struggles many face throughout the aging process. The swift physical and cognitive changes, the lack of clear resources and advice left many families in the dark about how to best support their loved ones, and at times guilty for the choices they had made. It was here that seeds for The Care Plan were planted, in an empathy for the pain and uncertainty many clients and their families experienced.

Jacqueline spent much of her professional career providing care management services in her 9 years with a private duty caregiving agency. Providing guidance and advocacy for people in need illuminated time and again the need for earlier interventions and planning. She saw how a comprehensive approach can avoid common crisis along the path to aging, yet no real solution existed.

LGBTQI ADVOCACY

In her life outside of work, Jackie has been a strong and consistent presence within Chicago’s LGBTQI community, from serving on the Chances Dances organizing board and the Critical Fierceness Grant Board (granting funds to Chicago-based artists who identify as queer) to serving as the Praise and Worship Leader for Broadway United Methodist Church located in Lakeview, a reconciling and welcoming church community; and co-founding Project Fierce Chicago in January of 2013, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing housing for LGBTQI-identified youth who experience homelessness.

Research in the past few years has confirmed what many already know: LGBTQI persons are at risk for falling through the cracks in healthcare due to experiences of being discriminated against, receiving sub-standard services, or outright denied healthcare based on gender or sexual orientation. With a passion for the well-being of the LGBTQI community and experience in health and aging, Jacqueline established The Care Plan, LLC in August of 2015. She has served over 10,000 seniors and their families in her lifetime. As an active member of the LGBTQI community she is aware of the health and aging needs specific to sexual orientation and committed to making a difference in their lives.

The Care Plan was established to provide the expert advice and guidance necessary to successfully navigate the challenges of health and aging. We are dedicated to helping you plan today and map your future, all on your terms.

Values Agreement

The Care Plan, LLC values the autonomy of each client and seeks to support empowerment and education within systems of health and aging. The Care Plan, LLC strives to provide clarity and support the individual goals of our clients in conjunction with dedicated preferred providers. Preferred providers have a shared passion for client-directed care; and a deep integrity and respect for each person served.

The values expressed in this section have been agreed to by preferred providers recommended by The Care Plan, LLC, on an organizational and provider-specific basis.

Client-Directed Care

Clients are experts of their care and define their own success. We support client-directed care through the education of the client and their support system. We bring our knowledge, experience, and best intentions to each client interaction. Our success is based on the achievement of goals developed in collaboration with the client.

Innovative Solutions

We strive for excellence and seek to be innovative in our area of expertise. If our services are not meeting client goals we will engage the client support system to find solutions within the boundaries of our scope of care. We think critically and are solution-focused.

No Tolerance Policy

Personal prejudice or discrimination on the part of our practitioners will not be tolerated with regards to race, ethnicity perceived or otherwise, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, economic status, disease or illness type, immigration status, or addiction history.

Diversity & Inclusion

We value diversity and provide the same high quality of thoughtful service to all clients. We respect and affirm our client’s lived experience. We understand the value of support systems and will treat the client’s identified support system with respect and inclusion.

Transgender & Gender Expansive Barriers

We work to provide affirming care to transgender and gender expansive individuals who seek our services. We recognize these individuals often have experienced barriers to quality health and aging services due to discrimination, ignorance, and intolerance. We explicitly educate our practitioners on harm reduction and utilize the following practices*:

Treat each individual with the same courtesy you would want extended to you; listen first, be honest, accountable, and apologize for mistakes without shame or shaming

Do not expect the client to educate you on any topic other than their specific health needs. Utilize your professional network and resources to expand your knowledge base to provide affirming care to transgender and gender expansive clients

Ask and utilize preferred name and pronouns, regardless of what medical records may have documented as the individual’s name or gender

Understand the above preferences may change, respectfully revisit

Maintain focus on the presenting health or aging concern, avoid asking questions that do not pertain to the client identified issue

Ask the client how best to support and advocate, for example if a third party is incorrectly addressing the client correct them whether in public or private

ADVISORY BOARD

Ruth Clark

Advisory Board Member

Ruth Clark has spent three (3) decades in operational leadership positions for technology and marketing teams. She believes that skilled management is a vastly underrated asset yet a key determinant of a group’s success. Moreover, having good humor, common sense, kindness and the ability to say no will stand you in good stead in the workplace and in life.

Anna DeShawn

Advisory Board Member

As a Chicago-born social entrepreneur, media has always been Anna’s passion. She founded E3 Radio, an online radio network that produces authentically-edgy media for the queer community. Anna and the QCREW host a weekly show for Queer People of Color (QPOC) around the country every Thursday at 8pm CT. Past Guests include: Affinity Community Services, Coquie Hughes, Hanifah Walidah, Lez Elegance Magazine and many others. Anna is determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing online radio streams to tell stories that need to be heard.

Carlin Thomas

Advisory Board Member

Carlin Thomas is a huge fan of any Jacqueline Boyd venture. Carlin is ready to support social and environmental justice founded projects and businesses that improves lives and ultimately benefits marginalized communities. An organizer of the queer dance party Quest, she is no stranger to raising funds and promoting missions that need to be heard. From nonprofits to tech startups, Carlin is *stoked* to bring her sales and marketing acumen to The Care Plan advisory team.

Stay Updated

As an effective pioneer in the healthcare industry, our goal at The Care Plan is to keep our clients informed throughout the aging process. If you are interested in keeping updated with our latest news, we would be more than happy to share!